been a total bitch in her last
lifetime.
“Really?”
Jillian knew what was coming next. Most of the family could
care less that she was half black, but with Blanche, it was very important.
“You come from the working class. You know how to work.”
“Newsflash, Blanche, so did Mom. In fact, isn’t that how she
met my father?”
There were a few moments of silence on the phone. Jillian
didn’t normally let them know they got to her. But she was so damned tired of
them putting her down because her father made a better life for himself. Most
people thought her father was a great man.
“How is he going to survive?”
Blanche was so dramatic. The whole family was. It was like
living with the fucking Barrymores.
“Maybe sell one of those motorcycles of his? That should be
able to get him a few bucks. I have something to do tonight. I have to go.”
Without waiting for an answer, she hung up and threw the
phone on her bed. Dammit, Blanche had ruined the good vibe she’d had from her time
with Conner. A little shopping, and a little flirting with a very gorgeous man.
Dammit, she hated her family. She wanted to just walk away. Not for the first
time, she damned her grandmother. Legally, she could do it. It would be messy,
but it would make her life easier.
She fell back on her mattress. She wouldn’t, though, and
that bitch of a grandmother knew it. There was one thing her parents had
instilled in her and that was duty. Shit.
Jillian sat up and shook off the irritation. She left her
family cell sitting on the bed as she went to get ready. She wasn’t going to
let them ruin her good day.
Chapter Five
Conner looked around the club. Even for a Tuesday night, it
was buzzing. Lots of customers, and with a special “bring your cake and eat it,
too” party going on, lots of cake. In fact, he could smell the sugar standing
fifty feet away.
“Whatcha think?”
He looked at Dee Ross and tried to see her as the woman she
had become. Their association had been brief when he had been ordered to
protect her all those years ago. It was hard to believe she was grown-up and
married. A lot like his sister.
“Do you think it’s healthy for you to be doing this?”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yes. And lord, don't
let Micah hear you say that. He's already being a bear, and I’m barely four
months along."
Conner still couldn't believe she was pregnant. It was
another sign that life moved on. It wasn’t until today that he’d realized how
much everyone in his life had continued on while he had stayed perfectly still.
"So, what are your plans while you're here?" she
asked.
He shrugged. "Not sure. Jillian took me to the swap
meet a couple of days ago, and I’ve been to the beach."
"Jillian?"
"My landlady and an old friend of my sister's. She owns
a house on the other side of the island and rents out the top floor of
it."
"Ah. That’s good. A lot of people don’t take the time
to get out of Honolulu except for part of a day. Where is the house located?”
“Near Kaneohe.”
“Oh, we’ll have to have you over for a meal. We live over
there. You can bring your lady friend.”
“She’s not my lady friend.”
Her eyebrow went up at his tone. “Okay. Micah will be down
in a sec. He's talking to someone who's going to do research here."
"Does he do that often?” he asked.
Dee shook her head. "He told me this was a favor for a
friend." Something caught her eye over his shoulder on the monitors, and
her gaze softened. He turned and looked at the screens. Micah was walking with
Jillian.
"What's she doing here?"
Dee stepped up beside him. "Her?"
"Jillian, why is she here?"
He felt Dee's study as he stared at the screen, but for a
moment, he ignored it. He watched as Micah guided Jillian through the club, introducing
her to people, some of them damned near half naked.
"Conner?"
"What?"
The silence that followed told him that Dee had not been
happy with his tone. He glanced at her, and
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